I figure there is nothing I can do but go with the flow. IE has made me realize that situations in life where food is involved doesn't mean the end of the world as I know it.
I know that personally I'm less afraid of both food, and of being hungry. You might know what I mean? Like I'd avoid socialising, for example, because OMG THERE MIGHT BE FOOD AND DRINKS THERE. I don't panic if there's no "on-plan" food, and I don't panic if there's a period of time where I want food but I can't have it.
In your situation I'd be more worried about my cooking skills, lol!!
I figure there is nothing I can do but go with the flow. IE has made me realize that situations in life where food is involved doesn't mean the end of the world as I know it.
One thing that I read recently is that when we are at peace with food and aren't concerned with deprivation of dieting when eating with friends, we can focus more on the fellowship with the friends and enjoy what we want of the food available and we probably not have a tendency to overeat. When I read that, I thought about how I do when I eat at church fellowship meetings. I enjoy walking around and visiting with the people and I realized that I end up eating only if they have what I really like and most of the time I don't eat much. There are times when I don't eat at a meeting because there just isn't anything there that I want to eat. Being there for 4 days is different, but hopefully there will be things you really like and can enjoy. Hope you have a fun time.
It is amazing to me how people write books saying they are not a diet and then proceed to tell us things we should really be eating and what foods we should not eat. They end up talking to us about good food/bad food and yet they want to try to convince us that they are not a diet book.
Well, I've gotten to the part of Allen Carr's book that I can't agree with. He started out good. He made the case for how good it is to eat fruits and veggies which I really think is true and I'm a person who loves both. However, NOW I'm at the part of the book where he talks about how bad protein and dairy are and that our body doesn't need them. While there are things about this book that I like, I refuse to get back into the thinking of "good/bad" foods again. I agree there are certain foods that my body does not tolerate right now because of the diabetes, but it doesn't mean they are bad foods and they probably are not foods I will have to give up forever. The key to the diabetes is to get it down to normal and that should come by eating less and when I get the weight and glucos under control, I will still be able to eat some of those foods on occassion when I get to that point.
It has taken me a long time to get to the point of eating what I really like when I really want it and eating only as much as it takes to satisfy me. It has taken me a long time to get to where I can live with the IE conceprt and I just cannot go back to dieting rules of any sort even in a book that thinks or wants to convince me that it is not a diet.
I thought that too, Trish. I just ignored that part and went on the overall principle. No way in heck am I cutting out meat and dairy! I like lifting heavy stuff and I really enjoy the protein! I didn't enjoy that "one size fits all" part of the book, particularly as it was going so well up to that point!
I know that personally I'm less afraid of both food, and of being hungry. You might know what I mean? Like I'd avoid socialising, for example, because OMG THERE MIGHT BE FOOD AND DRINKS THERE. I don't panic if there's no "on-plan" food, and I don't panic if there's a period of time where I want food but I can't have it.
In your situation I'd be more worried about my cooking skills, lol!!
Either way, I hope you have a lovely time
I completely know what you mean about not being afraid of being hungry! Yesterday I ate my lunch around 10. Around 3 I was hungry again, but since I was at work I couldn't just run out and search for something to satisfy me.
Before leaving for work I put two chicken breasts in the crock pot. I like to shred them up for sandwiches throughout the week. We're not really fans of deli meat. Since I knew I had that to go home to, that's all I wanted to eat. Nothing else sounded good. I had even thought about going "shopping" at the vending machine down the hall, but I knew I didn't want any thing in there. All I wanted was the yummy chicken at home.
I waited. I knew that the chicken would be ready and waiting for me when I got home, and I could eat as much as I wanted! And I did!
Before I would have scoured the office candy dishes, or succumbed to the vending machine. I'm no longer afraid to be hungry. I've read before on 3FC that hunger is not an emergency. I thought I understood it before, but I was wrong. It's finally clicked with me. As I've mentioned in a post before, food will always be there, I don't have to eat right now.
I never thought about it, but that makes perfect sense. We don't have to focus on finding things that are in our plan, how much of it we can have, and how many points or calories we have left for the day. We can focus on the reason we're there, the friendship.
PreciousMissy... Yes! That is spot on. I used to think ok, hunger isn't an emergency, I get that. I just need more self discipline. But mentally, I'd go crazy, thinking that I was weak for wanting to eat. Then go off in search of a "never go hungry!" plan. It would NEVER work, and when I did "give in" because hunger was so scary, I'd feel like a failure, get all depressed about it and go on a binge. What in the heck?
Imagine we were scared of being tired, the way we've been taught to be scared of being hungry... People would be sleeping all the spare hours in the day, anyone who could stay up late would be hailed as having amazing willpower. People would be "emergency sleeping" at work. It's crazy. When I realised that hunger, just like tiredness, is a signal from your body that it needs something in the not too distant future, it all fell into place. I know what you mean when you say you thought you got it, but now you REALLY get it. There's been times when I've been hungry at work (and I can eat there, and the food is lovely!), but there's something I really want available a few hours later after my shift. Sometimes I'll just wait. Now it's more, ok I'm a bit hungry, better eat sometime. It used to be OMG I'M HUNGRY PANIC PANIC PANIC OMG ARGH HELP ME.
I do NOT miss that!
Question I'm pondering... I'm finding that IE is good for maintaining my loss (woo!) and it was good for shifting the first 20lbs, but it's slowed drastically. I know I want to be smaller because I don't feel "right" yet (yes, by my OWN standards!). I've been tempted to go "on a plan" to actually shift more weight, but I know I don't want to... What was the question? I had a question... Do you think IE is modifiable? As in... Keep doing what I'm doing, but focus on making new, weight-loss-friendly habits, so they become intuitive? Like, say... Making it a priority to skate twice a month (as I enjoy it), or lift weights to rev up my metabolism (as I enjoy it), or go out walking every day (as I enjoy it), or experiment with healthy foods to find ones I love so I'll become naturally more intuitively drawn towards eating them? I'm not sure I know what I'm asking here... Kind of getting it straight in my own head!! I think what I mean is do you think you can make a gradual shift towards healthier, weight-loss conducive habits, while still sticking to the principles of IE you know work for you?
Shiv, I love your emergency sleeping comparison! That made me actually laugh out loud!
I posted in my decades thread about how I had a sugary treat three days in a row. I don't do that. I broke my sugar habit and now it is rare for me to eat anything sweet. I wanted them so I had them, but just because I'm craving something doesn't mean I can go hog wild and eat as much as I want whenever I want.
In essence, to answer your question about modifying IE, I have. Granted, I haven't read any of the books, just this thread and what tidbits I could find via Google. So I'm making IE up to suite my needs.
I don't think IE is a one size fits all way of eating. The definition of intuitive is: Using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive.
A principal that works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for another. I still pack and plan "healthy" lunches of foods that I like. I don't have a double cheeseburger and fries every day. Typically it's a vegetable and a protein. However, if I randomly feel like having chips with lunch, or cake for breakfast I do, but I don't plan to have them. For me, it's all about satisfying my cravings when I do have them so they stop. When it comes to eating, I only eat when the food I packed for lunch is the only thing that sounds good to me. But, I've also learned things about my body. I crave high levels of protein. Combined with a little fat I can stay satisfied for hours.
Yesterday I ate very little because I wasn't hungry, but what I did eat would be considered "healthy". This morning I didn't eat breakfast, but when it came to lunch time I had a double cheeseburger and tater tots. Oh my goodness they were so good! They completely satisfied me and I am stuffed. Just the thought of eating dinner tonight is a complete joke.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this...I guess I started rambling, haha.
Shiv, I LOVE the sleeping comparison! It's so true! If I slept every time my body signaled I was tired, I would spend almost the entire day sleeping! I'm always afraid of being hungry. I hate being in a situation where I need to spend money on food that I wasn't planning on spending, which is why I tend to eat before I go back for my second shift at work, even if I'm not hungry. I've been working on only eating before that second shift if I'm already hungry, and bringing a snack if I don't eat at that time.
I've definitely been enjoying IE! I still look at calories in what I buy, but not to calculate them into my day. It's nice to be able to EAT when I'm hungry, and not worry about saving enough calories to get my through the rest of the day! I'm still snacking on occasion, but I'm better. I'm averaging 4 days of GREAT eating, 2 days of decent eating, and 1 day of, if I counted calories, I would be sad haha. I want to slowly increase that to 6 days of great eating and 1 day of decent, and I think I'm getting there!
The last few days have been kinda weird, though. I had to get a tooth pulled a few days ago so all I've been eating is spagettios, ramen, yogurt, green smoothies (gotta get my greens somehow!), and eggs. Over and over again haha. So give it another week and I can get back to all my healthy meals!
Day one of the retreat and I made it through breakfast. They served yogurt, fruit salad, and oatmeal. Three things I'm not fond of plus I wasn't hungry. What to do!?!
I ate three bites of fruit and half a yogurt, but spent the rest of the meal talking. The person in charge of breakfast took notice that I didn't eat and commented. I told her I just wasn't hungry, but thanked her for providing breakfast.
Later I went into town to walk around and had the worst craving for a burger! When I finally found one it was amazing!
Tonight I'm fixing dinner... I wonder if anyone will comment if I'm not hungry by then, haha.
Hi I just wanted to Introduce myself. I've been reading about intuitive eating and in theory seems like something that could help me maintain my weight loss. I am afraid however that my hunger and satiety clues may be messed up. I understand it takes a while to get there, right? And I don't want to risk gaining weight. But at the same time I am tired of thinking about what to eat or not to eat ALL DAY LONG. I am currently recovering from a relapse of my bingeing/purgeing eating disorder so I've allowed myself everything I want to eat in relative moderation to try to get any cravings out of my system. But I want to balance this out by only eating when truly hungry and stopping when full. I am so used to eating at mealtimes and eating my entire portion and no more whether I am still hungry or past full. I guess my question is how do you get started? And what if you are a planner or always on the go? Like I always plan ahead for the week etc make batches of things, pack lunch and snacks? But I really won't know what I want 4 days ahead and chances are I won't be able to find what I need in the middle of a busy day. Guess I should read some more right? . Anyway, I wanted to say hi since I will probably be lurking around to learn more
I stopped reading the Allen Carr book, too triggering for me (I have a hard part not letting diet suggestions get to me).
Did any of you read Paul McKenna´s "I can make you thin" book. This is the IE bible in Europe (I never read it though, but remember it from European Weight Loss Forums).
I got back from my nephew's wedding Monday afternoon but have been running ever since. But just wanted to drop in and say hello.
The wedding was fun, and it was wonderful not to have to give a second thought to what I was eating. I also indulged in wine which I had abstained from for over 90 days, but I'm back to no wine again as I take a medication whose side effects are magnified by alcohol.
Ever since I've been home I've been eating basically how I ate when in Texas, with the exception of not eating breakfast. I ate a pretty big breakfast every morning there, not only because it was free, but because we stayed on the run and didn't eat much lunch. Each evening had a meal built in to the activity (especially the rehearsal dinner, which was fabulous!) so I just ate two big meals which fit quite nicely into my normal eating pattern. Only difference was that wine :-)
Now I've fallen back into the two big meals pattern again, only the first is generally after noon.
There is a difference, however - I am no longer focused on my hunger cues. Or any of the other practices of IE, for that matter. I found myself thinking "diet think" when I did that so I just stopped all of it. I find something to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, but I just don't "concentrate" on it like I did before. I'm trying to be as natural an eater as I can be, if that makes any sense. That's why I've changed my title to "non-dieter" because that's what I am now. And I've discovered that I think less and less about food every day. Which is one of the reasons I haven't been here to post. The less I talk, write, or think about food the better off I seem to be.
